LG is making a comeback with their G Series Smartphones and this will bring back the excitement that the Cookie did just 6 years ago.

The best thing about smartphones manufactured by Asians is that they can load the phone with an insane amount of good stuff (that’s comparable to or even greater than US and EU-made phones) and still sell them at one third the price that Apple iPhones are being sold. But this time the Korea-based phone manufacturer dared to raise eyebrows when it plans to sell the G4 at around $800 – $1,000 which is surprisingly more expensive than the iPhone 6 and HTC One M9! However, they’ll give you a lot of the good stuff for the amount you’ll be paying, like upgraded screen and a more advanced camera, longer battery life, RAM, core processor speed and the new leather coating which is not available in any other phones.

The Design

Honestly, the leather back overlay for the LG G4 is kind of a step backwards, because you may get that nagging feeling that you’re purchasing a Louis Vuitton bag or boots instead of a smartphone; which is awkward – and that’s an understatement. Just wait ‘till it’s your turn to go shopping for this thing!

The huge 5.5-inch Quad HD display absolutely kills it! From the moment I touched the second-series prototype LG G4, I never wanted to put it down again and I even had this silent enthusiasm to ask the attendant if I could take it home with me, which was inappropriate and rude to a certain extent. Still, with all the emotions aside, there’s nothing NOT to like about the G4. It is as a premium brand quality as any other phone in the market!

The plastic, ceramic and metallic versions of the G4 is not so terrible, in fact, they are comparable to the other top mobile phone manufacturers. However, I have to say that HTC, Samsung and Apple does it slightly better. Keep up the good work LG, you’re almost there!

I think that the main goal of LG is ergonomics as that’s what I’ve concluded when handling the G4 smartphone. It feels easy and light to the touch compared to other smartphones out there. The battery is also better in two significant ways: 1) it packs more power than other phones at 3000mAh and, 2) it’s removable.

I actually prefer the removable battery design over the unibody chassis that other phone manufacturers have added to their latest design features. The point is Lithium-Ion batteries can only last so long and after using it for 8 months on, their power factor is reduced by 18% or more, depending on how often you use your phone. Replacing the old battery with a new one is one way to go, of course, you can also use two or more batteries in reserve to lessen the charging time.

Massive phones have become the trend nowadays and if you don’t have one of those in your pocket or shoulder bag, then you’re certainly the sorest person to ever walk this Earth. But the bulky and wide horizontal surface makes them unwieldy, so the designers came up with an ingenious idea – make the edges curved to compensate for ergonomics! And it worked. Even the designers at LG realized this fact and included it in the G4.

The G4 has neatly tucked away all of the inconvenient pesky keys on the back of the phone just below the 16 megapixels camera; while most phone manufacturers have these in the front and sides of their phones.

The Display

Okay, our contenders for the maximum resolution on their respective phones’ display starts with Apple iPhone 6 (750 x 1334 @ 326 ppi) which is the lowest among the 6th gen smartphones on the market. Next we have HTC One M9 (1080 x 1920 @ 441 ppi), then comes the other Korean-made Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (1440 x 2560 @ 557 ppi) which is more or less similar to the LG G4’s resolution [2560 x 1440 (Quad HD) @538 ppi].

The new Quantum IPS display on the LG G4 is probably the best I’ve ever seen to date, and I think it competes more with its homegrown rival, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge than Apple or other brands. I find the 5.5-inch display a bit difficult to navigate (makes you wish you had a stylus pen actually), but again, the screen will take your attention away from other inconveniences.

Deeper reds and brighter blues, that’s what’s mostly the QUAD HD does which means it has cinema quality images and videos. It should feel like blu-ray on a smartphone, yeah, that’s just how amazing this phone is. Apple had better watch its back, because Samsung will not be the only rival in the block soon, HTC, Lenovo and especially LG will want a huge chunk of the smartphone market!

The LG G4 also sport a new unlocking feature called, the “Knock Code.” It works differently with the security PIN and the swipe code that you may have already seen in other smartphones. The Knock Code works by tapping a couple of times on particular areas of the LG G4’s screen to wake it up from sleep. It is a more efficient way to unlock the phone and it’s much ‘cooler’ in my opinion.

Pros

• Superb camera
• Elegant leather back
• Color-rich display

Cons

• Camera launcher could be better
• No QuickCharge technology
• Jury is out on leather durability

Initial Verdict

Whatever the decision-making block did in LG for its latest G4 smartphone concept, they did it so well, because they focused on 3 things: a) great camera for photos, a colour rich display and excellent design features. It’s so much better than Apple’s iPhone 6 and HTC One M9 that it is, by far, the only one I could find worthy to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. I’m definitely getting the LG G4 when it opens up for sale next month and you should too!

]]>Are you one of those people who simply love gadgets? Those people who wants the latest and the best? Well there are so many brands of phone to choose from like Blackberry, Apple, Nokia, Toshiba, Acer, Samsung, etc. Above all these for me, I think the most developed brand is Samsung. Why you say? I mean every year they have like so many brand new phones and tablets released. And it is known to be great too.

So the latest… the “in” phones these days are usually the big ones. Touch screen and with a big screen, the bigger the better though the downside is that you can’t simply put it in your pocket. Samsung just released the A and E series and now they have a new one… the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge.

When you look at the Galaxy S6 edge, you will notice that the edges are somewhat of a combination of glass and metal. That is because this phone is inspired with the work of glassblowers and artisan metalsmith. It is absolutely stunning with its beautiful curves and radiant glass surface, that when reflected to the sun, shows all sort of fantastic colors. It also comes in four colors: Black Sapphire, White Pearl, Gold Platinum and Emerald Green.

It is a 5.1 QUAD HD Super AMOLED 2560 X 1440, 577 PPI, Dual edge. No need to worry about taking a picture as it has a 16MP IOS resolution at the rear and a 5MP resolution at the front camera. It also has a F1.9 aperture which means clearer photos and it’s a fast camera too. It is also has a built-in wireless charging capabilities and it charging speed it about 1.5 times faster than previous models and its 10 minutes charging is equivalent to 4 hours of battery life.

Another fun fact about Galaxy S6 edge is that you can color code the contacts on your phone. All you have to do is simply tap the contacts color on the Edge display and voila, you can text, call, and email them. It’s fun to do and what’s more is that it helps you a lot because now you have no problem identifying the person that is contacting you, even if you phone is upside down or a little too far away for you to read the name.

Worried about securities? Well some have passwords and patterns but with Galaxy S6 edge, it has an enhanced security, now with features of KNOX and fingerprint scanner. It can also be paired with a Samsung Smart TV via BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) with just a simple touch. Now you can watch movies from your Galaxy to your TV screen or share a TV show currently showing to your phone. The con about this is that its only available when paired with a Samsung H5500 series Smart TV or subsequent model. It also has s Smart Manager application which lets you check some useful information such as storage, RAM, battery status, security and more with just a glance away.

What are you waiting for? Go get yourself this Samsung Galaxy S6 edge with a price of £760.00. A little pricy? Well its worth every penny!

]]>OnePlus missed its original deadlines that were supposed to be sometime at the end of March, but on Saturday, April 4th, the company announced the official release of its OxygenOS custom ROM.

The OnePlus OxygenOS custom ROM is based on the Android 5.0 Lollipop for the OnePlus One smartphone device. The ROM is now available for download and for flash. The co-founder, Carl Pei said in his announcement via blog post that with the 1st public build of this new Android Lollipop-based OxygenOS, the company was focusing on standing out with simplicity and adding things like battery life and performance over bloated features and gimmicks.

The company also made a feedback application as well. Apart from reporting bugs, it is also for suggestions for future implementations of new features. Peis claims that the company wants to emphasize that the initial version was built so that consumers could start taking a direct role in Oxygen’s future. In order to make sure they are heading in the right direction, they need consumer input.

On top of vanilla Android 5.0 Lollipop, the premier build of the OxygenOS offers users 3 major differences. Support for the OnePlus One device’s gestures controls, which includes off-screen gestures such as double tapping to wake and a camera shortcut; customization of lock-screen wallpaper, choice of software and hardware navigation keys, and a customizable quick-settings screen and a new file manager as well.

Users of the ROM will need both Fastboot and ADB installed, they will need to back their data up and will also need to have a custom recovery tool already installed before they attempt to flash their smartphones. Complete instructions on downloading and correctly installing the new OxygenOS 1.0.0 ROM on the OnePlus One smartphone are located on the company’s forum.

]]>At the MWC 2015 in Barcelona, Spain, Alcatel introduced the stylish new unlocked LTE smartphone that it will be selling for less than $200. The new Alcatel One Touch Idol 3 is a T-Mobile and AT&T-compatible smartphone that will have a starting price of just $199.

The new Alcatel One Touch Idol 3 will be available in 2 sizes, a 4.7-inch model which will be offered at the $199 price, and a 5.5-inch model which will be priced at just $249. These are the same sizes of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Another important, unique feature of both of these new Alcatel smartphones is that they flip upside down (as in, they’re reversible). The UI is always right-side up, regardless of which way you happen to be holding the phone.

As far as LTE, both smartphones feature all of the appropriate bands for T-Mobile and AT&T. This also includes T-Mobile’s new Band 12. These unlocked phones are also compatible with Metro PCS, Cricket, Straight Talk and a number of other carriers that use T-Mobile and/or AT&T networks.

Both Alcatel One Touch Idol 3 smartphone models will be available for purchase online in the U.S. by Father’s Day.

]]>Sprint’s latest LG smartphone is now available for preorder. The company’s innovative new LG G Flex 2 will be officially released on March 13th, 2015.

Sprint customers will be ale to purchase the new G Flex 2 for a retail price of $504.00. The company is also offering its customers a convenient payment plan on Sprint East Pay at $21.00 per month for a plan period of 24 months. The initial announcement was made by the Sprint company on February 19th. The phone’s predecessor, the original LG G Flex was released just a year ago in February of 2014.

The new Sprint LG G Flex 2 smartphone device includes some premium features, such as its distinctly stylish curved body, 5.5-inch full HD P-OLED display with 1920 x 1080p, and 2GHz 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor. It also features 2GB of RAM, premium Bluetooth capabilities, and 32GB of built-in storage with a micro SD expansion port. It can support micro SD cards up to 2TB.

The LG G Flex 2 also features a 13 MP rear-facing camera with Optical Image Stabilization+ (OIS+) and laser auto-focus. It has a 3,000mAh battery that has a fast-charging feature and can charge to 50% in less than 40 minutes with the 15W charger included in the phone’s packaging. It runs on the Android 5.0 Lollipop OS.

Sprint customers will be able to purchase the LG G Flex 2 in either Platinum Silver or Sprint-only Volcano Red. The phone weighs 5.36 ounces, is just under 6 inches long, 3 inches wide and less than half an inch thick.

For a limited time, Sprint is offering its customer a promotion. Up until March 12th, with every purchase of the LG G Flex 2, Sprint customers will also receive a free LG Quick Circle Folio case. The case has a retail selling price of $59.99 and will arrive in the same color as the phone. The case is not available in stores under Sprint’s offer and it will be shipped in a separate package than the phone. According to Sprint, it will be delivered to customers by April 15th.

]]>On March 1st of this year, at an event in Barcelona, Samsung will be unveiling its new smartphone, the Galaxy S6. This past Monday, the tech industry giant sent the press invitations to one of its “Unpacked” events. The Samsung Unpacked events are utilized for the announcements of some the company’s most important products. In the past, the Samsung Galaxy Note and the Galaxy S smartphone lines were all announced at a Samsung Unpacked event.

Sources have revealed that the new Samsung Galaxy S6 will be a metal-made smartphone which is a change form the popular plastic smartphone designs that Samsung has most often used in its past phone productions. The Samsung company will also be releasing a curved screen version of the Galaxy S6 which will have a design that very closely resembles the Galaxy Note Edge that Samsung launched back in 2014.

The invitations that were sent out to the press by Samsung Group contained a sneak-preview of part of the Galaxy S6, and the in the photo, the new smartphone appeared to have the metal casing design that confirms the previous rumors about Samsung departing from the plastic smartphone casings.

The company also is said to be planning an announcement regarding the design of its new smartwatch. The new Samsung smartwatch, according to reliable sources, will be sporting a rounded design.

Long-time smartphone rival company HTC is also expected to be unveiling its new smartphone as well, which is said to be a follow-up to the HTC One M8. The HTC One M8 announcement will be on the same date, March 1st, 2015 in Barcelona, however it will be at a separate event.

]]>Under the HTC advantage program, the latest android update in the form of Lollipop was to be pushed within 90 days of receiving the final code for Android 5.0. It covers HTC devices on all carriers inside of the US, which includes the One (M8) and One (M7).

The first version of Android Lollipop has been buggy which has stalled the update process and will not be delivered within the 90-day period.

The update has been pushed to the One (M8) unlocked and developer models, along with the Google Play Edition.

HTC has needed extra time to work with its carrier partners to roll out the updates because of initial bugs in the software. The original version has already received minor patch updates from Google for minor issues in updates 5.0.1 and 5.0.2.

HTC released a statement regarding the updates:

“In the spirit of continued transparency, I wanted to share a quick update on where we’re at with our Android Lollipop rollout process. We’ve been working hard in the labs with Google and our carrier partners ever since the code release and are making great progress so far, but if you’ve been following the progress of this rollout you will know that Google has had to address several issues with this release. We’ve been diligently working to fix some of them on our end and incorporating Google’s fixes as quickly as possible, but despite everyone’s best efforts some carrier versions of the HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7) will not meet our 90 day goal, which is February 1st. While we are committed to delivering within this time period, we are even more committed to ensuring these updates result in an even better experience with your device because that is what the updates are intended to do.”

]]>According to ZDNet Korea, an LG executive has said that the LG G4 will launch in the second quarter of 2015. The G4 is one of the most anticipated phones after its predecessor, the G3, became a major hit and a top contender in the smartphone market.

The South Korean company said that the camera will improve. Back in October, LG had unveiled an improved version of optical image stabilization with a 27-megapixel camera. The design will also be differentiated in the new model.

After LG defended the Snapdragon 810 processor of its flagship phone, one can assume it to be a part of the LG G4 as well, unless a new chip is introduced by Qualcomm before the release.

Most likely, the upcoming smartphone will be released in May, almost a year after the G3 started shipping. A Q2 launch means anytime between April and June, we will be seeing the G4.

]]>The official launch date of the OnePlus One smartphone’s successor, the OnePlus 2 has reportedly been delayed. The Chinese-based smartphone startup company that sold almost a million of its very first smartphone models, was originally planning to release the 2nd version of their Oneplus smartphone, the OnePlus 2, sometime between the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2015, according Carl Pei, who is the global director of the OnePlus company.

Due to a number of manufacturing hurdles, the launch date of the OnePlus company’s 2nd smartphone has been reportedly pushed back. It looks like the new OnePlus 2 will only be launched sometime in the 3rd quarter of 2015.

A Forbes report confirmed that the new OnePlus 2 will indeed be featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor. This information matches up with earlier hints about the new mobile device having a 64-bit processor.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor in the new OnePlus 2 Android smartphone will provide 64-bit computing and will be an octa-core (8 CPU cores). It will also feature 4K Ultra HD video streaming capabilities along with online 3D gaming.

The specifications are rumored to be a 5.5 inch display with 1920 x 1080p resolution, 4GB of RAM, a 16MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera, 4GLTE and Bluetooth 4.0, a powerful 3300 mAh battery, dual sim card support and a micro SD card slot. It will be running the latest Android OS, Android 5.0 Lollipop.

The official price of the OnePlus 2 has not yet been released, but is speculated to be somewhere around $500.

]]>Samsung’s flagship line, the Galaxy S series, is in for a new model and many are awaiting the slightest details on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S6.

According to Korea’s ETNews, Samsung’s Electro-Mechanics subsidiary (SEM) is supplying the S6 with a 20-megapixel optical image stabilization-equipped snapper. SEM is reposnsible for manufacturing the camera modules among other things for Samsung smartphones.

ETNews reports that the S6 will launch in March, apparently “a few weeks earlier than originally planned.” The site commented on a growth spurt in SEM in the first quarter of the year.

There is no evidence to support these claims, but if the site’s data is correct we can expect some activity in March regarding an release date around MWC 2015.

Among other feature leaks, it has come to be known that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will support a Samsung chip instead of the Snapdragon 810.

A day before a “trusted source” BGR leaked the product’s specs saying the Samsung Galaxy S6 will have a 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED Gorilla Glass 4 display with a pixel density of 577 pixels per inch, said to sport “stunning outdoor visibility” and a super dim mode.

]]>The Moto X was quick to receive the new Android Lollipop update as promised to its second-generation devices. Motorola has also begun pushing updates to the Moto G since then. The company says the rest of the Moto line will be getting updates “really soon”.

“There is so much anger floating around this topic, I just want to reassure we’re working really hard on it, and, as promised, our Moto products from 2014 and 2013 will be updated to Lollipop really soon,” explained Motorola’s Luciano Carvalho on Google+.

Soak testing for the Android 5.0.2 release has already begun on select devices. Provided no issues arise during the testing phase, Carvalho says that it will be released soon to a wider audience.

Carvalho asked users of the first-generation Moto devices to check Google Play to ensure that they are running the latest Motorola Update Services. If it doesn’t show up or is incompatible with your device, check back later and it should be available for download.

“Updates of this nature take time,” Carvalho added. “It’s no secret that when 5.0 launched it still had bugs. And, when we update our products, we end up finding more bugs that need to be fixed.”

Google’s latest android version releases take time to be releases to Motorola handsets, although they run a nearly pure Android software. Carvalho pointed out that since Google doesn’t validate its software for every hardware combination, manufacturers must do it themselves which takes time and effort.

Motorola does however promise that the wait will be well worth it. The new versions will be bring the best performance and stability to your loved Motorola devices.

The new Walkman ZX2 is priced at a whooping $1200. It was designed keeping high-end audiophiles in mind. As Sony says, this is “the fruit of continuous refinement in high audio quality technologies.”

The device supports high resolution audio playback and is packed with WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC for wireless streaming and connections to wireless speakers and headphones.

Many have fallen for the new design which resembles a smartphone having a matte black casing. The playback buttons are placed on a curved side, which is quite convenient for finger placement when holding the device.

Featuring a touchscreen, the Android-powered device supports Android apps which can be downloaded from the App Store. Android Jellybean 4.2 is run on the device which is two years old.

The reason for its hefty price tag is its S-Master HX processor. It enables high-resolution audio, but requires high-resolution audio supported headphones or speakers.

A variety of audio formats are supported by the ZX2 including DSD, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, Apple Lossless and much more.

Last year’s Walkman, the NZW, had an 8-hour battery life and was waterproof. The ZX2 however has an impressive 60 hours music playback time of battery life. It has an internal memory of 128 GB and a microSD slot for extra storage.

Sony has not yet made clear when and where the new Walkman will be available for sale.

The company has been unable to meet expected profits from its wide range of android smartphones, facing stiff competition from cheap android handset manufacturers.

Samsung is at a major deciding point. It can either continue to mass produce pricey android phones and see customers drift away to Chinese competition which include Huawei and Xiaomi, or it can differentiate itself by bringing innovation in its own operating system.

Samsung appears to be following the latter option, but the plan may be faltering. Reuters published a big story last week on Samsung developing its own operating system called “Tizen”, which was supposed to have shipped in at least one phone this year.

“Tizen” seems to have hit some developing issues and was unable to be released in 2014. There are unconfirmed rumours that it may release in India soon.

The Tizen project is perhaps Samsung’s approach to steer away from android. The OS developed by Google is free, but comes with preinstalled Google suite applications like Gmail, Google Maps and the Google Play App Store.

Consumers finding no difference in the software are buying android phones from cheaper manufacturers. They make phones with the same specifications at half the price. Chinese startup Xiaomi is the the largest phone manufacturer in China and astoundingly the fourth-largest phone manufacturer in the world. Apple, Samsung and Huawei comprise of the first three largest manufacturers.

At the Mobile World Congress when operated, Tizen is similar in looks and functions like android. However, it does not have Google’s default apps and services. People who are comfortable with their favourite android apps will steer clear; a repeat of what happened with BlackBerry and Windows Phone.

Next year, Tizen may be seen in a few low-end devices. It is the software used in Samsung’s smart watches. 2015 will see Samsung introduce more models of the smart watches.

Tizen is also futuristic in that it can interact with “smart home” appliances. It can control light switches and washing machines.

]]>Eastman Kodak Company is preparing their initial entry into the Android smartphone industry. The company has teamed up with Bullitt Group, Ltd, a British mobile phone and consumer electronics company to create a brand new line of smartphones, tablets and cameras.

Kodak has announced their plan to launch the new Android smartphone at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in January of next year. The CES is being held in Las Vegas, NV from January 6th thru January 9th.

According to Bullitt, the new Kodak-branded Android smartphone is targeted towards consumers who are essentially looking for a high-end smartphone experience but who are not completely comfortable with the use of technologically complicated mobile gadgets.

Both companies claim that the purpose of their joint venture into the Android device market is to deliver what they refer to as “simplicity without compromise.” The Bullit-designed Android devices will be giving consumers convenient access to printing and sharing services whilst simultaneously offering the most up-to-date Android Operating System and high-end smartphone features.

Kodak announced its plan to appeal to the large segment of mobile gadget users who value features such as ease of use and stylish design just as much as they value functionality.

This new line of smartphones and tablets will be running Google’s Android OS and will also offer what Kodak refers to as “best-in-class” image management software and features. All devices will come pre-loaded with bespoke image capture, remote management and sharing capabilities. The pre-installed advanced remote management software will allow for help and support interactions between close friends and family.

The innovative and elegantly designed devices will allow users to take great photos that they will be able to edit, share, store and even print all in an instant. The first line of smartphones will be showcased at the CES 2015. The Kodak stand will be in South Hall Booth 21818.

Kodak is currently planning to launch the next devices: 4G LTE smartphones, tablets and connected cameras in the 2nd half of 2015.

The Google Cardboard is simply made up of cardboards and costs only $10. It is compatible with Android phone and can be made at home as well. Google confirmed that it can be coupled with an Android Phone which is at max 4.7 inch in screen size.

The steps to view Google Street through the Google Cardboard are the following.

1) Open the Google Street View in Google Maps on your Android Device.

2) Double tap the ‘Look Around’ icon on the lower right corner of the screen.

3) This will synchronize the Google Cardboard with the Android Phone.

4) The Google Cardboard will then show you the 360-degree rotation of the chosen place.

The Google Cardboard device is more than a wonder in terms of improvisation and technology improvement. A person can easily view the sky scrappers of Hong Kong or Shanghai, the Eiffel Tower of Paris or the Burj Khalifa of Dubai at 360 degrees just by using the Google Cardboard in the US.

A dedicated SDK for Third Party App and different versions of “build-it-yourself”-viewers are on the ambition list of Google for Google Cardboards. Google has already shipped more than 500,000 Google Cardboards and the number is expected to grow exponentially.

]]>Facebook has just released a brand new “app within an app” application called “Stickered.” The app is designed specifically for use with Facebook’s own Messenger app. The new app allows Messenger users to paste Facebook stickers on their own personal photos or any photo they choose, and send it to their Messenger friends.

When using the Stickered app, you can select from literally hundreds of Facebook stickers. First you choose a photo, and then you decide which stickers you want to add. You can move the stickers around, resize them, tilt them, and then you stick them anywhere you like on your photo. After you finish “stickering” your photo, you simply click the icon for Messenger and that will switch you over to your original Messenger app. There, you can select a friend or three from your friends’ list and send them your fun, new photo creation.

The Cryptoy app will help children understand basic techniques on encryption and create encoded messages. It does not requires any special permission to access confidential information on Android devices.

The British Government hopes that Cryptoy will help them find the next generation of cyber-spies.
“[Cryptoy is a] creative solution in the hunt for expertise, but with a 21st century spin”, said Francis Maude who is the British Minister for cabinet office.

GCHQ, which is considered the British equivalent of the United States’s National Security Agency, says that an iOS version of the app will be available next year in 2015. As well as revising the history of cryptography, the app covers both the theory and practice of the subject. It targets Key Stage 4 students.

The idea for the app was first developed as a test project for the Cheltenham Science Festival by industrial placement students from GCHQ. However, due to growing interest from teachers, GCHQ was persuaded to make it publicly available.

There are a few features which will be specific to the Android platform, as reported by Cameron Johnson, director of product innovation at Netflix.

“First, we’re taking full advantage of the rich Android push notification capabilities to add images and action buttons that let you watch, get more info, or thank your friend for a recommendation,” says Johnson.

Back in September, Johnson said: “You know that feeling when you’ve watched something really great, something that moves you or makes you laugh, and you immediately think of someone else who would love it, too? It’s the feeling of wanting your friends and family to enjoy the show just as much as you did,” Johnson said back in September.

Android may have lagged behind other platforms in getting the recommendations feature, but was first to receive Netflix’s retooled search. Android smartphones and tablets received visual search for mobile back in October. iOS versions were scheduled for release shortly after.

“[Presenting] the results in a grid of cover art allows the user to see more results at once on touchscreen devices such as mobile phones and tablets,” Netflix stated in October. “This visual presentation reduces the cognitive load, making it easier to find what you’re looking for.”

]]>When it comes to mobile messaging apps, WhatsApp has a significant share of 600 million users. However on the web, the app is behind its competition. Popular messaging services like Telegram, Viber, Line and WeChat all have web messaging applications with the exception of WhatsApp.

As Netherlands-based AndroidWorld reports that, WhatsApp could be looking to change that. It says that the company is possibly in the works for a web client for its native mobile application.

Strings of code is not the only evidence found pointing towards WhatsApp Web.

Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, told TechCrunch earlier this week that WhatsApp tried to take over one of its web developers. This led to the circulation of rumours that WhatsApp could be working on a web client.

AndroidWorld.nl has found through further investigation that WhatsApp has a dedicated domain for a web client.

“We still were curious about what the site was going to be and we have assumed some further research,” writes (translated) AndroidWorld. “The first guess was an instant hit; the website http://web.whatsapp.com appeared to exist but is protected and can only be signed by a Google account.”

The blog says that the web client’s address has been around since Oct 30.

In the December 11th version of WhatsApp, all references to WhatsApp Web were removed. Regarding a timeline for when users can expect the web client, the Dutch blog said that the evidence is “very limited”.

The Global Vice President of Xiaomi has confirmed the suspension and has said that they are now availing options by following the course of the law.

The ban has created a jinx on the growth momentum of the Chinese phone maker.
Xiaomi showed lots of promise in the Indian market with its cheap smartphones suddenly found itself in the controversy. The smart phones Redmi 1S and MI 3 were sold out in seconds after their launch.

The Redmi Note 3G created records in terms of booking, Xiaomi confirmed that the phone got 150,000 registrations from the official e-commerce partner Flipkart.

But the future course of the company is in the dark as the expected resumption of the sales is yet to be announced. The company has not given any further details other than the suspension order.

Xiaomi has only 12 patents filed in their name and claims that the patent system is flawed.
Ericsson has said that the patents of the company have been violated by Xiaomi and they have confirmed that they have requested a response from Xiaomi for three years for an adequate licensing fee.
The way forward for Xiaomi may not be so bright as far as the legal options are concerned. The violation of the patents by Xiaomi and the no response to Ericsson has put the earlier in trouble. The company has to do out of a court settlement with Ericsson to avoid further escalations from the Delhi High Court. They can of course take it further and go for a higher court, fighting the case against Ericsson.
But that could be a loss of time for Xiaomi considering the time taken by the judiciary procedures of India.

However, it is expected that Chinese manufacturer will try to resolve the issues with Ericsson and get back to the Indian Market as soon as possible.

]]>According to SamMobile Samsung’s new Galaxy A7, which is speculated to be a high end device coming from its Galaxy A series, has gained approval from the Federal Communications Commission. A launch of the product is expected in the near future.

If rumours on the device are to be believed, the Galaxy A7 will feature a 5.2-inch 1080p display, an octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor with 64-bit cores. A 5-megapixel front camera will also be integrated in the device along with a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera having the ability to shoot video in 1080p. RAM of 2 GB and an internal storage of 16 GB may also be included.

]]>The principal target for the manufacturer Sonim is to create smartphones that can hold up against various challenging situations in tough conditions, just like their latest unveiled model on the marked named XP7 Extreme.

Sonim XP7 Extreme is shock resistant up to a high level, even for a military standard, and has IP68 rating, which means it can withstand 2 meters under water for 30 minutes. Normally, the smartphone is resistant to dust, mud, sand and other elements, and can withstand extremely high and low temperatures. Also, the company gives a warranty of three years for the device.

The smartphone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor featuring four cores of 1.2GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM memory and 16 GB of internal memory. The main camera has 8 megapixels, and the second, placed on the front side has a 1 megapixel.

The screen is 4 inches of Gorilla Glass, and an important point is the fact that it can be used with gloves plus is bright enough to be used in extremely bright environments.

The dimensions of the phone are 137mm x 72.1mm x 20.8mm, and weighs 290 grams.
This type of design can bring some bloated look, however, you can easily understand that this is a consequence of the outside case, capable for shock absorption and sports a spacious battery.

The battery is one of the advantages of this smartphone, because it has 4,800mAh, allowing 1,000 hours standby and 40 hours of talk time.

For sure, it is tough to guess if this smartphone, with all its features can gain popularity with ordinary people, but for people like exterior workers and for people with a really active-sports living, definitely the Sonim XP7 is the best Android phone on the market.

This time Sonim provides their model using a Indiegogo campaign, for a price of $579, an appealing deal to be delivered in March 2015, together with an Ultra Mobile SIM and a $49 of prepaid credit (US only), a waterproof Bluetooth headset, and a “Sonim XP7 Extreme virtual goodie bag”.

]]>KIT Scientists have recently come out urging governments to rethink selling old TV frequencies to the highest bidder, and instead to turn these relics into free ‘super-wifi’ for all. The change over from analogue to digital broadcasts has left many companies bidding for control, mainly from mobile phone networks who want to extend their mobile coverage. But scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany are claiming that if governments would instead put these old transmissions to better use, it would boost economies.

Transmitting wifi signals over lower frequencies would provide a far greater coverage than standard wifi, which is very limited in its reach. If the move was to go ahead and the old TV signals were used to broadcast wifi, the signal would travel a lot further than standard wifi. At the moment, wifi signals are limited in their reach, capable of only supplying a small area. The estimated area of coverage of the new wifi signals far exceed current distances, as they would be able to cover ranges of up to several kilometres.

One group that would not be open to such a suggestion are the mobile phone companies. At the moment, mobile phone companies plan to increase their mobile phone coverage by rolling out 4G. But if free wifi was available throughout cities and towns then no one would have any need for mobile internet. Currently, 3G and 4G technology is very expensive for the consumer and leaves users no other choice but to pay the premiums for internet coverage on the go.

The practical implications of this super-wifi would be far superior to any other use for the old frequencies. This technology has the power to save lives and improve situations during disaster scenarios. It would provide a much better and more stable means of communication and updates in such times.

One concern is how a wifi network which would cover such great distances would work efficiently whilst servicing such wide areas. High traffic could prevent the service from working properly, resulting in unusable internet for these peak times. Those who share a wireless network know how peak times can drastically affect speeds. One can only imagine what a radius of several kilometres of users would be like. However, scientists from KIT counter these arguments by saying if the infrastructure is set up correctly, then these ‘super-wifi’ zones would be perfectly capable of operating regardless of congestion.

The economic benefits of such a network would be far-reaching as it would allow those who cannot afford expensive internet packages access to the internet. It wouldn’t be only individuals who would benefit, but companies and organisations would save a lot of money not having to pay costly internet and networking costs. This can only be a good thing for a town or cities economy and growth.

The biggest challenge both the scientists and the public face is convincing governments of the positive implications of such a move. The long term benefits of providing a super-wifi network covering entire towns and cities far outweigh the short term gain of auctioning the technology off for an easy sum. Mobile phone companies will do their utmost to convince these governments to sell this technology to them so they can make more money off mobile phone coverage. If governments do indeed go ahead in turning these frequencies into far reaching wifi then the mobile phone companies will of course suffer from losing out on pushing their pricey mobile data onto consumers. Unfortunately in these economically tough times, most governments will of course opt for the quick cash injection from an auction, as opposed to a move that will no doubt benefit the public in the long term.

The idea will be put forward to the UN World Radio-communication Conference by scientists from KIT next year, who are hoping a larger audience will be able to see the benefits and in turn persuade governments to jump on board.

]]>The newly presented Linshof i8 can be an honest custom mobile phone featuring its personal unique style, an exclusive user interface, and some curiosities in its specification sheet that the manufacturer Linshof generously explained to us.

Linshof is a German company that has introduced their smartphone as a main weapon to break through the market. The Linshof i8 comes with an octa-core (8 CPU cores) chipset clocked at 2.1 GHz, paired with 3 GB of “fast clocked RAM,” apparently. The gadget have a 5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Super AMOLED or IPS screen. Linshof’s CEO Dr. Tomas Bencik guarantees that they have “carefully color calibrated the Super AMOLED version” to take care of “a little bit crazy color, in our standards”.

Additionally, the Linshof i8 has a standard of 64 GB internal memory combined with an extra 16 GB module. The second module is designed for storing apps, and to enable your phone to function even better, Linshof promises to have used a module that is “clocked much faster than usual” from SanDisk.

Going through, the Linshof i8 has a 13 MP wide-angle rear f/1.8″ rear camera sensor from Sony and an 8 MP front-facing selfie camera. There’s a 3,100 mAh battery under the cover, and the Linshof i8 will run Android 5.0 Lollipop at launch.

The German mobile phone manufacturer intends to launch their easy-to-customize smartphone in Q1 2015. Buyers might also get to pick a touch-based Linux OS, or simply stay with the already pre-loaded Android version.

The question is just how much will you pay for all that? The Linshof i8 is currently charged at $380 unlocked, which is certainly a competitive cost.
Also, for tablet lovers, a 10-inch Linshof tablet with the same style and features, with a 2048×1536 display and 9000mAh battery will likely be available near the same time.

The only positive thing for the company is that despite these figures, actual sales of S5 in the US fared better than S4 and it seems that the US is, however, Samsung’s biggest market. But, that is not the case in China, where Samsung sells half less smartphones unlike antecedent of S5 Galaxy.

However, you should take into account that Samsung has still not released any official numbers in terms of sales of the smartphone and the The Wall Street is placing this information according to its sources close to the company.

It should also be acknowledged that the company has faced several problems regarding the business of mobile phones, and one of the biggest problems was the increasing competition in the market, especially from China, so they have same serious plans for changing their strategy and focusing on developing those models that are most popular.

It seems that 2015 will be an interesting year with regards to Samsung and their mobile phones.